FIRST PHOTO BOOTH PICTURE AT THE PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER

TELEPHONE CALLS

Within this past week Mimi has decided that she would like to make her own phone calls to Blake, Erin and papa. Mama wrote the numbers down on post it paper and gave her specific instructions that these are the ONLY NUMBERS that she is allowed to dial. I do not want to get any phone calls from Japan, China or Istanbul mama told Mimi. So far so good.

This morning's conversation went something like this:

Mimi: Mama, I'm going to call Blake's answering machine ok?
Mama: ok
(phone rngs, no answer, machine comes on)
Mimi: Hello Blake, this is Mimi Putney. Ummm, me and my mom are going to the park to see if my hat is still there (we forgot her princess cap at the birthday party) and want to know if you want to come with us, but since you are not answering I don't think you are home. Bye.

Mama was quite impressed, our Mimi sounded so grown up.

A little while later her conversation with papa went like this (mama was outside gardening):
(phone rings, Mimi answers from the office/computer room)

Mimi: Hello?
Papa: Is mama there? Can I talk to her?
Mimi: I don't think that is a good idea.
Papa: Why?
Mimi: Because I'm on the computer.
Papa: Please go get mama.
Mimi: Ok. (then proceeds to hang up the phone and go get mama)

Meanwhile mama who heard the phone outside, came inside to call papa. When the conversation ended. Mama and Mimi had a talk. Mama now has to teach Mimi that when someone calls (especially papa) that she has to put the phone down and not hang up on the person who is calling.

UPDATE ON YESTERDAY'S CHAOS

When Krista came to help mama with the dog situation yesterday afternoon, she seemed quite perturbed over the situation. Mama later found out that the dog was not a friendly one and at one time attacked Krista's two retrievers Ziggy and Marley plus the same dog also attacked Jess's dogs Beau and Giselle and these are some big dogs too. Mama was quite relieved that the dog did not attack any of the kids outside. It just occured to mama that good ole' Ollie was there not only protecting his home by chasing the dog clear down the street, but he was protecting Mimi and her friends as well. What an amazing cat we have!!! Gawd how I love that boy!

PLAYDATE AND CHAOS

This afternoon Janet called and we took the kids over to the school ground to play for about an hour while the weather was nice. Then it was time to go home. Mimi had another playdate scheduled with her friend Liam from pre-school. All was going swimmingly. They played couple games of twister and trouble for those of us old enough to remember. The old games are new again. Pictured here is little brother Beckam trying to join in on their game. Then they decided that they wanted to go over to the school ground to play for a while. Everything was going well until Mimi went outside through the garage door. She then came flying back inside yelling "MAMA ,MAMA THERE'S A BIG DOG OUTSIDE!!!" Although she is much better about dogs now, they still scare her sometimes and this was one of those times. Sure enough, there was a big bird hunting dog outside running loose. He had a collar but no tag. He was somewhat timid, but yet friendly and energetic. Mama did not know who the owner was. Apparently the dog was well fed and clean. Just imagine this. We are all outside Mimi, Liam, Beckam, Rainnea (Liam's mom) and myself. Meanwhile Ollie is guarding the house/garage. The dog is running around, Mimi is freaking out, dog tries to run into the garage, Ollie the cat chases the dog (a 100 times bigger than the cat) clear out of our yard nipping and scratching at the dog's butt and the dog yelping all the way down the street. The dog then decides to come back to our house. Dumb dog. Mama then realized that Jess and Krista always walk their dogs around the neighborhood so they might know who this dog belongs too. Sure enough Krista knew the dog and brought him home just two doors down from us. The owners are in the process of selling their home and put the dog in the backyard and somehow the gate got opened. I tell you there is never ever a dull moment around our house.

HULA LESSONS

Besides enjoying feast, we also got a lesson in doing the hula and the meanning of several hula movements. While Mimi learned how to do a Tahitian dance, papa learned how to do the Hu-ki- lau ( not sure of the spelling).

ZGF'S HAWAIIAN LUAU

Xaunder's birthday party was not quite over when we had to leave and go over to the University of Washington Arboretum for papa's office party. As you can see it was Hawaiian themed with all of the trimmings of Hawaiian food such as spam musubi, dried mango fruit and pudding, mango cupcakes, chow mein and mama's favorite kalbi shorts (yum yum) white rice, fried rice, macaroni salad along with the green salad, tonkatsu, fish. They also had the usual sodas along with the Hawaiian sodas. We no sooner left the birthday party when it started to rain and it rained all during the luau too. Still raining at this hour.

XAUNDER'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Yesterday was Owen's birthday and today is Xaunder turn to have a birthday party in the park. No bouncy house today but there was still plenty of food and fun for the little tykes. Of course we could not leave until Mimi had a whack at the pinata and of course Ziggy the dog had to get into the act of helping to open up the presents.